Can it really be 50 years since Pauline Matthews left her job at Boots in Bradford to sign a record deal?

“I only realised it was 50 years by accident when I remembered I got signed in 1963,” says Kiki Dee.

Born in Bradford as the aforementioned Pauline Matthews, Kiki is celebrating her milestone with a tour coming to Saltaire’s Caroline Social Club in Saltaire. “My dad worked at Salts Mill, so there’s a special significance,” she says.

Kiki, 66, and musical partner Carmelo Luggeri have a new album – A Place Where I Can Go – out on September 30.

Kiki joined forces with the Italian songwriter, producer and guitarist, who has worked with the likes of Bill Wyman and Chris Rea, in the early 1990s. The pair’s first album, Almost Naked, was recorded in 1995 on tour supporting violinist Vanessa-Mae.

"It was a shock at first, performing as just the two of us. I burst into tears after our first gig,” recalls Kiki. “But soon it felt good to have the freedom of working with just a voice and guitar.”

She and Carmelo relish their creative freedom, experimenting with music and bringing their own take to covers like Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill.

The pair wrote all tracks on A Place Where I Can Go, apart from a duet with Eddi Reader called Horses penned by Canadian duo Dala.

“Music is about being true to yourself. I like a challenge, and you’re only as good as your last show, so there’s still pressure,” says Kiki. “Of course there are songs people expect, so I always mix the hits and later material. I keep moving on, while honouring the past.

“I remember performing with Elton and his band in a stadium, with everyone waving lighted candles. Now I suit intimate venues.”

Kiki started out singing with dance bands at venues like Manningham’s Mecca Locarno. After being spotted by a talent scout in 1963, she was signed to Fontana Records and released her first single. As a session singer, she worked with artists like Dusty Springfield. “She was only seven years older than me, but I thought she was so sophisticated.”

In 1970, Kiki became the first white British artist signed by Motown. “It was very competitive. It was all about who got the best songs,” she says. “I was young, and only there for three months, but I’m proud of what I did.

“If I ever write my autobiography, I’ll call it Two Telephone Calls, as that’s what changed my life. The first came after I’d played the Astoria Ballroom in Leeds, leading to my first record deal, and the second was a call I made when I felt a bit stuck.”

That call was to the man who had started managing Elton John. Invited to meet him, Kiki signed to Elton’s Rocket Records. Her first UK Top 20 hit, in 1973, was Amoureuse, from her Loving And Free album, and she sang backing vocals on Elton’s album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. “It was during that time that I started songwriting, Elton really encouraged me,” she says.

In 1974, she rode high on the charts with I’ve Got The Music In Me, and in 1976 came Don't Go Breaking My Heart, her hit duet with Elton which topped the UK charts for six weeks and four weeks in America.

Kiki’s 40th single, Sidesteppin’ With A Soul Man, is out in October.

“When I had my hit with Elton, I thought ‘that’s it’. Now I’m marking my 50-year milestone,” she smiles. “If it hadn’t been for those phonecalls, I might still be at Boots. I like to think I’d be a manager by now.”

Kiki Dee and Carmelo will be at Caroline Social Club in Saltaire on Friday, December 20.